Nexus Origins
by ZeroNexusTheCPU
Summary: Mike Seras is your regular high school student. His life not much different from anyone else... Until something impossible happens. Follow the story of this incredible adventure where the main character's emotions,decisions and actions shape his destiny and help him reveal his past... The origins of Nexus.
1. Chapter 1

Flying Goddess

The sound of boots stepping off metal steps fills my ears.

Another day of the same old routine, yet it felt very different.

"*Sigh*"I left out a huff of air as I unbutton my coat and hang it over my shoulder while I carry my backpack."Scratch another day down..."

My name is Mike Seras and I am a senior student at a high school in the US. I was born in Seville, Spain, but my father was a natural born citizen of the US. My life isn't as different as anyone else my age, the only things I can really pride myself above all else is my intelligence and my avid imagination.

I had moved back to the US during summer vacation to finish my high school studies and get into a good tech university. Little happened during the last year, no troubles, no real important things to talk about.

The weather today's pretty odd, while I normally deal with several feet of snow, occasionally reaching five feet, I'm now dealing with avoiding a heatstroke as I walk home.

I look at the sky and feel a little dread as I see black storm clouds forming above me.

"Well that's just great."I say"First this heatwave and now a storm. Who says now that climate change doesn't exist?"

A loud thunderclap roars above me, scaring the living daylights out of me. It's not long after that I hear something odd from above me

"Watch out! Watch out! Watch out! I'm falling!" I hear a voice yell"Aaaaa!"

Before I'm knocked out, I catch a glimpse of a slim figure hurtling itself towards me from above.

I'm not sure how long I'm out cold for.

"Hey are you alright?"I hear the voice call out from within the dark mist of my mind as I feel the world around shake around me"Wake up!"

After a few minutes, I slowly open my eyes

"I-I think so..."I respond, groggier than I had ever been."Man what hit me…?"

Out of the corner of my eye I spot a purple colored braid, rustling in the wind. That braid style… it seems familiar…

"*Fidget Fidget*"I hear the rustling of metal, pencils and books."Oh crap, now everything's spilled out the backpack!"

I force myself into a sitting position and turn my head in the direction of the sound.

"…."My jaw drops as I see the tall figure sitting on its knees, it's back facing towards me and it's long purple braids lightly pushed by the wind"...no way….it can't be…"

The figure freezes in place, a visible drop of sweat forms at the back her head, as if realizing that she had been caught red-handed.

"A-a-are you awake?" She asks with her mature female voice."I-I-m sorry that I landed on you."

The figure slowly turns around, her bright blue eyes look at me as if gazing through my very soul.

"P...Pur…"I stutter not believing my own eyes."Purple Heart...no way..."

She looks at me confused for a second before a warm smile takes its place.

"Yes I am Purple Heart, Goddess of Planeptune."Her voice softly fills my ears as her curiously odd pupils feel like them stare to my very soul."I'm looking for a guy called…."

She begins to say before her body begins to shrink in less time than the blink of an eye,

"Well shoot, there goes my HDD..."I hear an oddly familiar voice say.

I rub my eyes and now even more surprisingly, Neptune is sitting across from me, a sour expression covering her face.

"N-neptune?!"I mumble, completely shocked.

A videogame character. In bone and flesh, sitting infront of me, fresh from reverting from her Hard Drive Divinity.

"Huh…?"She looks at me and a expression of pure surprise fills it."No way..."

A piece of paper appears out of nowhere in her hand, looking at it first then at me several times.

"Are you by any chance….?"She says in a almost quiet voice."...Mike Seras?"

I find myself quite surprised to hear this.

"Y-Yeah."I nod slowly, confused.

A broad grin crosses her face and she stands up.

"Perfect!"Neptune says cheerfully" I've come looking for you. It's my mission."

"Which is….?"I ask, trying to find out what she means.

She looks around and starts whispering.

"Not here, can we go to your place and talk?"She asks almost silently."It's nearby isn't it?"

"How did you…?"I begin to ask before she cuts me off.

"I have my ways, now let's go."She says as she shoves my backpack into my hands and pushes me towards my house.

A rather rude and strange way to meet someone.

 _Mike…._

My heart nearly jumps out of my chest.

That voice...again...?

I haven't heard it since…..


	2. Chapter 2

2\. Neptune's 'Secret Mission'

I dig my pockets for my keys, an impatient Neptune balancing herself on the balls of her feet.

"Aha!"I say relieved to no one in particular"Found them."

After a reassuring _click_ , the door unlocks and opens to the inside.

"Here we are, my humble abode!"I say with a little pride.

Neptune peeks over my shoulder..

"You live here by yourself?"She asks.

I shake my head.

"No, I live here with my grandmother, but she's going to be out of town for a few months." I explain as I dump my backpack in a closet near the door."Make yourself at home."

I hear the couch in the living room creak as I walk to the kitchen to drink water.

"So why are you looking for me exactly?"I ask as I lean over the counter"What do I have to do with a videogame?"

Neptune sits up and faces me.

"I'm not a videogame charater now am I?"She replies" _...even though this is based on one..._ "

"What was that last part?"

"Nothing forget it!"She shakes it off."But you have to do with a profecy from my world. I've been instructed by…."

"Histoire?"I say, cutting her off by accident.

"Yeah!"She nods"She says that I need to be near you when the time comes!"

I raise a brow.

"The what does the prophecy say of me then?"I ask."What does It say about my involvement in it?"

Neptune gets up and walks up close to me, close enough where I can smell her sweet scented hair.

"That..."She says quietly"...Is a secret!"

She bops my head lightly and laughs.

I don't try to bring it up again. Well more like that she doesn't let me ask her.

 _Later that night…_

 _A windy grass plain_ _stretches_ _around me for miles. Silver, blue and black buildings tower on the horizon._

" _What world is this?"I ask myself as I look around me"Am I dreaming?"_

 _Mike…_

 _I quickly turn around._

 _A tall figure, towering over twice my height, stands_ _in front_ _of me, the silver black and purple of it's armor shines in the mid-morning sun._

" _It's you..."I whisper"...I haven't seen you..."_

" _Since the accident."The figure says."I know you have a lot of questions, but all with due time. You have begun your journey, but you must be kept in the dark for just a bit longer."_

 _A whirlwind appears to surge from the figures feet, slowly enveloping it._

" _We shall meet again…."The figure says"...Zero."_

 _The figure dissapears._

" _Zero…?"I repeat to myself"...why does that name seem so familiar?"_

 _Don't look so sad Mike…_

 _I hear Neptune's voice all around me, as if from within a dream._

 _A wispy_ _silhouette_ _appears_ _in front_ _of me, embracing me in a hug. Before it dissapears, it kisses me, warmth filling my lips._

 _These dreams… they finally reappeared after ten years…_


	3. Chapter 3

3\. My apartment roommate is a Goddess

 _A year and a half later..._

I walk in the hot California afternoon on my way back to my apartment, sipping on a bottle of ice cold tea, thinking of all that had occurred to me over the last year and a half.

 _A out of control flying goddess crashing into you isn't something that happens to you every day. Plus those dreams, with Neptune in them….they're getting stronger._

I stop infront of the tall apartment complex that I live at, craning my neck looking straight up.

A flash of purple at the very top, where my loft is.

"Was that her?"I ask myself as I head to the doorway

I swiped the key card in the sensor for the door, no keys needed, only a small card I had attached to my cell phone, convenient and safe; and called the elevator, within a minute, the doors open to the oriental style entrance of my apartment

"Hey Neptune I'm back!"I said loudly as I was sitting on the edge of the tatami that composed the entrance"What have you been doing since I left?"

"Mike,your back!"I hear a voice say"I was sunbathing in the balcony not long ago!"

Wait I know that voice...

I slowly turn around and see Purple Heart, Neptune's goddess form in a rather revealing bikini, making me stop a second to look her from head to toe in a discreet way.

"How was class?"She asked me, she hadn't noticed that once again, just like the first time we met, her goddess form had me completely hypnotized"I got bored of waiting for a game to update, so I decided to work on a tan."

I snap myself out of my Purple Heart-induced trance and look at her face.

"Why are you in goddess form?"I asked her surprised" I haven't seen you transformed since we met last year."

"I thought it would be a good idea to train my endurance in HDD here since there's nothing to fight soo…."She says before stretching the straps of her bikini a bit "Plus I needed an excuse to wear these clothes I bought a few days ago."

"O-okay..."I said slightly distracted"Well anyways, have you had lunch yet?"

She shakes her head negatively.

"Nope, I woke up 4 hours ago, had breakfast and have been sunbathing since then."She reports" I was thinking of making something for lunch, but then you walked in."

Neptune, cooking in that form... Wait, I thought she had never cooked in her life. She was a CPU in her world, so she had people do it for her or just went out and bought tons of food, or in some cases, had her younger sister give her snacks. But still...

"Well since it's so hot today, I thought of making a traditional Spanish summer meal"I told her" Gazpacho, I do remember the recipe quite well."

"Wait what's that?" She had already transformed into her original form while I finished putting my shoes away, wearing her usual getup" It has a very weird name."

"It's actually quite good"I say as I try to recall the recipe" It's a mix of several different vegetables, minced together to such a fine level, you can drink it."

"Just vegetables?"She asked shocked, with the face I expected from her"How is that healthy?"

"You have your sense of what's healthy and what's not mixed up Neptune"I scold her with a bop to the head"Here let me make it for you and try it, tell me how it tastes. And don't worry, it does not have egg plant"

"Ow..."She fakes"...jeez alright"

After what I can assume was about 20 minutes of cooking, I bring her a big mug of gazpacho, cold and with an ice cube, as the recipe follows with a very fresh batch.

"Here"I give to Neptune, who's reverted to her normal form and is lying on the couch."Drink it while it's fresh"

I can just see her through the corner of my left eye of her smelling it and taking a sip. She gave a momentary face of paralysis as I hear her whisper " it's a bit bitter..." but she completely finishes her mug and asked for seconds.

"So how was it?"I ask her as I hand her over the same mug filled with some more gazpacho a few minutes later.

"I was actually quite surprised" She said in a voice that I can only assume it's that of a food critic" It had good consistency, a bit of kick to it and very refreshing. And it was very yummy!"

She gives me a little silly smile.

"Hey did you get all the travel stuff ready by the way?"She asks me after a while."Technically I don't exist and all…."

I give her a thumbs up.

"Made some calls and everything is ready, this day next week's we take our trip to Spain."I reassure her.

A flash of light blinds me for a second before I regain my vision.

"Well at least I'll have an excuse to be 'Neptune Purpleheardt'"She jokes in her HDD form"... _also thanks for the compliment earlier on this...I bought this just for you..._ "

I trail off with a news section while she says this.

"Say again?"I snap out of it."…...I-I-I'm gonna go clean the dishes, be back in a second"


	4. Chapter 4

4-Carriage of the Skies

 _A week later..._

"Okay Neptune" I faced her" When we go through customs just take off your shoes and put your bag on the belt I put my stuff on okay?"

She had been in her goddess form for 2 hours now and she didn't seem tired, so that practice must have definetly been working.

"Got it"She smiled at me" Just lead the way!"

We walk to the security check point and present our passports and tickets, everything is in order…. _or so I hope so._

"Okay let's take a look here"The checkpoint officer mumbles"Hum..."

"Hey Mike, when does our flight leave?"Neptune asks me"I wanna eat something."

"When we get to the gate, I'll buy you something okay Nep?"I told her"Just be patient"

"You are Mike Seras?"Asked the officer" And you Neptune Purpleheardt?"

"Yes"We both reply, sprouting a smile on bot of our faces.

"Alright everything seems to be in order..."The officer hands me back our documents "Have a good trip Mr. Seras and Miss Purpleheardt."

As we descend the mechanical escalators to the transport terminal, Neptune tugs my sleeve.

"Mike, these contacts are getting really itchy and I'm not sure how long I can go without rubbing my eyes..."

"Do you want people freaking out with your pupils?"I tell her in a soft , low tone" If that happens, we're both done for!"

About 10 minutes later, we're sitting at the benches near the gate waiting for boarding to commence.

"Are you still hungry?"I ask Neptune, which for the last 5 minutes has rested her head on my shoulder"I can get us something light to eat."

She looked up at me, with a soft smile.

"That sounds good."She replied to me"Just don't take long"

"I won't"I told her as I got up from the bench"I swear."

A few minutes later, after buying some light pastries from a stand nearby, I get a surprise call from my mother

"Hey sweetie!"My mom told me over the phone" How long until your boarding your plane?"

"Me and Neptune just got through security and we're waiting for boarding."I tell her "It shouldn't be long though."

"Alright, I will see you two at the summer house then!"She says barely containing her excitement" I can't believe my son's finally found the love of his life!"

"MOM!"I turn bright red, embarrassed.

"Well, see you later sweetie!"She says before hanging up, leaving me both dumbfounded and feeling the most embarrassment I had felt in my entire life.

With a quick sigh and a final check of the clock, I walk back to Neptune and give her a pastry.

"Here have this"I hand her a chocolate doughnut" You can't eat much or you'll get motion sickness."

"Hey it isn't the first time I fly you know."She says as she takes a small nibble out of the doughnut, watching me through the corner of her eye with disdain." You don't have to say that"

"Well its the first time you fly on an airplane"I correct her" And its a lot more different than what you are used to."

We finish our pastries in silence and spend several minutes awkwardly sitting rigidly next to each other.

Without warning, She rests her head on my shoulder again and asked me something.

"Hey Mike?"She says in a mellow voice" Have you ever had a crush on someone?"

"Well...umm..."I got caught off guard there but I respond firmly"Well when I was in high school I liked a girl that I knew from my early childhood, but when we met again, she already had a boyfriend before I could even express my feelings. I was heartbroken but happy for her."

"Okay..."She said as she dozed off.

She looked so calm and I didn't mind her putting her head on my shoulder. I looked at the gate info board and it was announcing that boarding would start half an hour from now.

Well may as well check my emails meanwhile...

About an hour later...

"Ladies and gentlemen"said a gate attendant through the speaker system several times in different languages" We are beginning boarding for the flight from San Francisco to Malaga, Spain. Priority boarding passengers and those in need of assistance, begin boarding the aircraft."

"Hey Neptune"I said as I poked her cheek" We have to get on the plane"

"Huh?..."She said in a sleepy voice"Oh! Ok!"

We both got up and approached the gate and present our tickets, which are swiftly scanned and we begin walking on the walkway to the aircraft.

"Wow..."Neptune says astonished" Were flying in that?!"

The walkway had windows to see the outside and we were heading to a double decker jetliner, a true monstrosity of a plane.

"Yeah" I nod" Impressive isn't it?"

"Yeah, I never imagined something that big could fly!"She says as we approached the door of the plane"I'm quite impressed."

As we entered the aircraft we are greeted by several flight attendants, which after presenting our tickets, guide us to our seats.

"These are your business class seats"The the female flight attendant welcomes us" We hope you enjoy the flight and let us know if you need anything."

After they had left and I helped Neptune hook up to her seat, I sit down next to her in my own seat.

"These seats are very comfortable!"She says with a radiant smile"It's even better than laying on a bed!"

"Your exaggerating."I say with a laugh" All we have to do now is sit back, relax and enjoy the flight."

About 30 minutes later, the plane's lining up for takeoff.

"Okay Neptune, get ready, take off is going to push you into the seat hard"I tell her" So don't freak out if your ears pop or you can't move for a bit"

"Got it!"She gives me a thumbs up."Bring it on!"

As the plane begins to speed up for take off, I hear her make a small squeal, probably not expecting the sudden burst of speed and when the plane leaves the ground she has a grin on her face. I can tell she really likes flying, both flying by herself and in a plane.

A few hours later, the attendants begin to serve lunch. There isn't that many people in business class, so it didn't take that long for the attendants ask us what we wanted.

"Madam, Sir. Would you like something to eat?"She asks very politely"Take this menu and let us know what you would want please."

I take it and show it to Neptune.

"Okay..."I read it" I'll have the chicken soup with noodles. What about you Nep?"

"Let me see" She reads the menu" I'll have the same as him, but instead of the jelly for desert, can I have the pudding?"

"Yes madam."She take our menus and said" It will be ready in a few minutes, please prepare your trays and we'll bring it to you."

She leaves and I look at Neptune with a smirk.

"What?"She looks at me with a surprised face.

"Nothing."I was totally expecting that. If pudding is offered, she is going to take it."Just expected it, nothing more."

She pouts, making me laugh a little. She can be quite silly, even when she's in goddess form.

A few minutes later, the same attendant and a male attendant brings us our meal and place it on the seat trays I'd had just pulled out.

"We hope you enjoy and let us know if you need anything else."The flight attendant offers with a little bow"We also have an assortment of wines you can order."

"We're good, thank you anyways"I dismiss them"Thank you"

When they walk away, Neptune had already opened the pudding cup and was about to start digging into it.

"At least try your other food first Neptune "I say with a little laugh" No one's taking your pudding!"

"Hey it's my food, I can decide what I do with it."She talks back with a non-serious smile.

A while later, we had finished our meals completely, I had eaten Neptune's eggplant, she was still repulsed by it, figures, and our trays had been taken away.

"Mind If I rest my head on your shoulder again?"She asks me"These seats aren't exactly comfortable to recline and just lie straight."

"Sure, I don't mind"I tell her"It's a long flight and we may as well sleep."

We both recline out seats and Neptune puts her head on my shoulder again, I put a blanket over both of us and turn off the overhead light. I really need the sleep and Neptune's body is nice and warm...


	5. Chapter 5

5.A goddesses's struggle

I wake up an hour before we land, suprisingly well rested.

"Huuuu…."I hear faint breathing"...pudding..."

I look in the direction of the sound and I see Neptune, sleeping peacefully in her HDD, clinging to my t-shirt with a small smile on her face.

I catch myself staring right before she opens her eyes, more purple than usual as to cover her power button-shaped pupils.

"How'd you sleep?"She asked me as she perched herself up on the seat.

"Good"I tell her"You?"

"I slept very well"She smiled"Your shoulder is very comfortable you know."

"I guess so"I said blushing"Never tried myself, it's a bit hard to do you know."

That makes both of us laugh, it may have been little over a year, but it feels like I've know Neptune forever.

About 2 hours later, we are out of the plane, gone through customs and waiting for our luggage to be brought in the luggage claim.

"Oh there it is!"I quickly jog over to where our two bags are and pull them off the belt, putting them on a baggage cart I had rented to push them."Ok were set, lets go!"

We walk outside to the rental parking lot and I enter the little office.

"Good afternoon sir!"The attendant greets me"Do you wish to rent a vehicle?"

"I have a car reserved under the name Seras."I ask" Is it ready?"

"Seras? Let me check..."He checks his computer"Oh yes, a 2015 electric sedan?"

"Yes, here's my ID to confirm it"I say as I hand over my passport"Is it fully charged?"

"Yes it is"He says after checking my ID and returning it" I'll bring it up front for you."

A few minutes later, we're driving onto the high way towards Cordoba to make the trip to Seville.

"Hey Neptune, you can transform back now"I tell her" We're gonna be on the highway for a little bit and I think you need to rest your body from being in that form."

"Phew thanks!"She says and there is a quick flash inside the car, this time I look away so I don't get blinded" I don't mind being transformed,but I missed being regular ol' me!"

"If your're hungry, I bought some snacks before we left the airport in my backpack."I told her" It should have your name on it."

"Let's see"She dug her hand down the pocket I pointed her "Aha!"

She pulled out a cup of pudding. No big suprise.

"Yay, Nep's Pudding!"She says overjoyed. She really loves pudding doesn't she?

"Hey can you get me that bag that says'Veggie Chips'"I ask her"I'm hungry too."

"Here"She puts the bag opened on my lap"Enjoy... Is that the smell I think it is?"

I smell the chip I just grabbed, it had a a certain smell that freaked out Neptune... Wait this is a fried eggplant chip. Hehehe, time to mess with her.

"No, not at all!"I lie to her with my most convincing voice" Its a potato chip! Trust me, try it!"

"I don't know..."She says with doubts. I give her a convincing face while I put the eggplant chip infront of her face"Okay I'll try it."

She takes the chip out of my hand with a bite, almost taking my fingers with it. Here it comes...

"How's the taste?"I ask her containing my laughter"Anything particular about it?"

"Its crunchy,mph,mph"She says as she chews"Something very familiar about this..."

"Doesn't it seem very fresh?"I say, now me starting to crack"I'm sure you've had it before."

Then I see her face, turning white, with a expression of disgust just after she swallows the chip.

"Was..that..what.."She stutters"I...think...it...was...?"

Now I completly shatter laughing the best I could without loosing attention on the road.

"IT WAS!"She was enfuriated"YOU DIRTY LITTLE BASTARD!"

I started laughing even harder now, seeing Neptune turning red set me off like a bomb.

"STOP LAUGHING!"She begged me"PLEASE STOP!"

I begin to calm down, maybe I went to far, but I just couldn't help myself, she set herself up to that one.

"I'm sorry"I'm still laughing a little bit" But you set yourself up to that one."

"Idiot"She says as she looks away pouting"I can't believe you did that."

"Neptune your overreacting."I tell her worried" I know you hate eggplant, but it isn't going to kill you, plus that one had been fried to the point it was more a potato chip than a eggplant."

"Just don't do it again"She demanded" And say sorry."

"Okay"I said normally"I'm sorry I tricked you into eating a fried eggplant chip and I won't do it again, I swear."

"There"She says smiling now"Thank you."

A few hours later we reached Cordoba, it was getting late, since our flight had reached Malaga late evening, I had reserved a room in a hotel for a night and we would leave early morning.

"And here is your room key"The receptionist hands me the key to the room I had reserved online at the airport"Breakfast bar opens at 8am."

"Thank you"I tell her" Neptune let's go."

"Okay"Neptune responds, she had transformed back into her goddess form right before we entered Cordoba, but she wasn't mad at me anymore, or so I hope so.

When we enter the room, I realized something horrible: There was only 1 bed. Oh hell.

"Crap"I curse under my breath"Really?"

"What's wrong?"Neptune asked me as she tried to look over my shoulder"Is this the wrong room?"

"No,no it's not..."I stuttered"But the website didn't say it was a 1 bed suite..."

Now what? I can't possibly share a bed with her... Think,think,think...

"How about I take the couch?"I said as I pointed at a comfortable looking couch in the room" and you take the bed."

"But won't you be uncomfortable?"She asks me, I could tell she was worried for me" I wouldn't want you to be sore before we get to Seville..."

"I'll be fine, ive slept on the floor before, so a couch is better overall."I calm her down"I'm going to get changed ok?"

"Ok..."She still looks worried, but she's avoiding eye contact.

A few minutes later,after changing and relieving myself in the bathroom, I'm on the couch with a extra sheet I had found in the closet as a cover and Neptune was lying on the bed.

"Hey Neptune, aren't you going to transform back?"I asked her, she had put on some pijamas and got in bed still transformed."Won't it tire you?"

"I'll be fine" She replies" It's good practice..."

"Ok then."I say slightly toneless"Goodnight Neptune."

"Goodnight Mike..."She told me, she sounded slightly sobby.

A few hours later I fell something poking my cheek. I open my eyes and I saw blue eyes glow with power button pupils a few inches infront of me.

"Hey Mike..."She says in a very sad voice"I-I-can't sleep..."

"What's wrong?"I ask her as I wake up completely"Nightmares?"

She nods. What could have she had dreamt that was so bad?

"Could you..."She talks with a shy voice now"you know..."

What is she thinking about?

"What?"I ask confused, seriously I'm not a mind reader.

"Could you lay in bed with me like you did on the plane?!"She lets out in a blurt"I need... to talk to you..."

"O-okay"I respond"Just give me a sec to get up."

While I got up I straightened my hair a little and fixed my pijama shirt, then crawled onto the bed with Neptune, who cuddled up to me and put her head on my shoulder.

"I miss her..."She whispers"I miss her..."

"Neptune..."I feel very guilty, even though I know it isn't my fault"Do you miss your sister?"

She nods.

"I miss her, Histy , the others..."She weeps"IM NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE IN THIS WORLD"

"..."I stayed silent, slowly brushing her hair.

We stayed like that for a few hours before I dozed off.


	6. Chapter 6

6\. Guardian Awakens

When morning finally came , I wake up and wondered why my chest feels so heavy. When I look down, Neptune is lying on my chest, sound asleep, just like she was when I dozed off. She may have not looked like it, but this goddess' homesick and I had done the best I could do to comfort her.

I stay there just watching her and looking onto the river for a hour or so. Then she wakes up.

"Morning sleepyhead"I whisper to her softly "You slept like a baby."

"Hum... what time is it..."She's rubbing her eyes before realizing what she was using as a pillow"AHHHH!"

She jumps and falls off the bed, it looked a bit painful but I laugh a little.

"Sorry! Sorry!"She apologizes repeatedly, her face redder than I had ever seen, especially in HDD"I didn't realize where I was!"

"It's alright"I say in a calmed manner" You had a lot on your mind."

"Well..yeah.."she blushes"thanks for that..."

"Hey I'm here for you"I tell her"For better and for worse."

She seems distracted by this last sentence throughout breakfast.

A few hours later, after hitting the road again, we reach the outskirts of Seville.

"Wow... They've really cleaned up the towns around here..."I say surprised"Last time I was here, all the buldings looked like they were going to fall down with a gust of wind."

"Wait this isn't part of Seville?"She asked curiously"I thought you said we were 5 minutes away from the city."

"Seville's a big city, and there are a lot of towns very close to it, so close that streets are connected directly to it."I respond"But it's been quite a while since I've been here…"

As we pull around the turn on the hill, I see the giant skycraper that's on the outskirts of town. That thing still looked out of place, but now that it was done, it actually looks majestic. And it wasn't the only skyscraper, there were another 6 in the skyline, most of them were on the west side of the city but 2 of them were pretty close to the downtown area.

"Hey you see that belltower near the center?"I point out to Neptune, who's staring out the window as we descended"That's one of the oldest structures in the city, its over 400 years old and has passed through the hands of many empires and has been used to worship 2 gods in its lifetime."

"Wow...amazing"She looks thrilled at seeing such a mix of old and new"It's like seeing Planeptune again."

I wonder how Planeptune looks in person then… Remembering what I saw from Neptune's game….

"My parents place is on the other side of the city, but the place were staying at is downtown, so I can show you the district later okay?"I ask her" Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah, its fine."She starts acting embarrased" I sorta overheard you when you were talking to your mother at the airport yesterday...Didn't mean to, but with my enhanced hearing I couldn't help myself... Sounds like you have it a bit rough"

"Thanks Nep"I say, relieved"It makes me feel much better that you undersand."

About 30 minutes later, after checking into the hotel, we pull up to the summer house that my parents owned in a town near the outskirts of the city.

The house had been remodeled the year after I had stayed in the US without warning and passed from an old dusty single story summer home to a expanded 3 story summer house with a pool. I had seen pictures of it when me and my sister talked, but seeing it in person was much more impressive than the photos.

"Here we are"I announce as we pull into the driveway of the house"This is the house my parents live in for the summer months."

"Wow your parents must be loaded..."She says amazed"That is a big summer house..."

"Not really"I explain"Actually….welll...yeah..you could say that. My family owns and runs several popular children's clothes store across the country."

She's silent, I think she's had a bit of an overload with all the impressive structures she had seen in the course of the last hour.

"C'mon lets go inside, let me present you to everyone"I usher her out of the car and into the back of the house, where the porch is.

"Mike!"I hear as I get knocked off my feet onto the grass" ITS YOU!"

Well I know who that is already.

"Nice to see you Kishuri"I say to the 14 year old girl that had just headbutted me"You've grown quite a bit since the last time I saw you lil' sis."

"Mikie!"I head my mom call me by her nickname for me. Ugh…."Give me a hug!"

I walk over to her after getting Kishuri off me and give my mom a big hug.

"You've grown another foot haven't you?"She says as she looked up, she was bit short and I was very tall, as tall as Neptune's HDD infact"Don't you ever stop growing?"

"Not really."I say laughing" Hey where's dad?"

"He's out of town for a few weeks"Mom told me" He said something about 'Seras Family Buisness' so it's anyone's guess."

"Sorry Neptune I guess your going to have to meet my father another time"I tell Neptune, who's helping Kishuri to get up" By the way everyone this is Neptune Purpleheardt. A friend that I made at high school last year, its the girl I told you that was very shy that came mid-way through senior year."

"Nice to meet you "Neptune says in a charming voice, almost hypnotizing me into another trance if Kishuri hadn't tried to headbutt me again after getting up"And you too Kishuri."

"It's nice to meet you too darling"My mom said as she elbowed me repeatedly, I could tell she was indicating that I had meet a pretty girl and she was proud of me. If she only knew.

"Nice to meet ya Nep!"Kishuri greets Neptune in her usual tone"

"Hey Mom I'm gonna take Neptune to do some sightseeing in a little bit, is it okay if we drop by on Friday and we eat lunch together?"I ask her.

"It's fine, just call me when you are heading over."She said in a voice that I knew to well from when I had a crush when I was little on one of my classmates.

"I will, see you on Friday."I say as I give her a hug"Neptune I'll start by showing you where I used to live."

We reach the neighbourhood I lived in before I moved in about 30 minutes, we still have plenty of electric charge in the car but when we head downtown I will park it in the State Court House charging station.

"This is where I used to live before I met you" I point at a narrow apartment building, only 3 stories tall as we pulled up to it."My parents still own it, but since they live downtown now, they rent it since the area became more expensive."

"It looks cozy."She says"Like a house should be"

"Well it was cramped for 4 people, my bedroom was the size of the bathroom we have back at the penthouse."I sigh"It was too small for a guy so big, but I rather have my little sister take the bigger second floor bedroom."

"That doesn't sound comfortable at all then."She laughs"More like living in a oversized shoebox."

"Haha very funny"I reply with sarcasm" Ok let's head downtown and I'll show you part of it today and the rest tomorrow."

"Fine by me"She said with a smile"You're driving anyways."

The rest of the afternoon I spent walking around downtown showing her the old city and explaining her the history behind it, she didn't listen half of the time but she enjoyed being guided anyways.

That evening we ate the rest of the snacks we had packed for the car ride, this time not tricking her into eating eggplant, although I was very tempted.

After eating, we sit on the balcony, the small quaint plaza infront of the hotel only interrupted by the cheer of people in a bar nearby watching the national league play a friendly match against the US national league. An odd coincidence really.

"Hey Mike"Neptune begins" Did I ever tell you what my mission was? Why I was sent here?"

"No..."I think back to the discussion I had with her over a year ago when she crashed into me."You said it was a 'secret' or something."

"Well..."Neptune pauses for a second before continuing" You mind if we take walk while I explain myself?"

"Sure, let me just grab my jacket"I say.

A few minutes later, after walking in silence through the empty streets of the neighbourhood, Neptune continues her explanation.

"Do you promise that you won't be mad at me?"She asks"It's something pretty big."

The more she hinted at it, the more I want to know what this profecy says about me.

"I won't I promise"I give her my hand"I swear on my life."

"My mission here was to specifically find you..."She began.

My uneasiness increases the longer the pause is.

"...because you are part of a profecy. You are the hero of the profecy."She paused and took a deep breath.

"..."I was dead silent, utterly shocked of what she had just told me. Me? A hero for a profecy of another dimension?"...how long have you..."

"Histy contacted me last week."She explains"She finished decoding the last part of the prophecy and it says that you are..."

I hadn't noticed that while Neptune was telling me this, we were being tailed. And it was almost too late before we noticed.

"Well, well, well"The first thug snorts a retort, a small man but visibly bright"Mr. Tree Man and Madam Beauty. Whatcha think of these two Forte?"

"Hmprgh"I hear the second one grunt, a very deep voice and when I turn around to him, the complete opposite of the first one"She's pretty."

"Indeed she is partner..."He gives Neptune a very dirty look"What is she doing with a guy like this?"

"You little..."I stop her before she can finish the sentence.

"Don't Neptune"I look at her with a serious face"Remember our situation"

She nods but the thugs take advantage of this to close the distance between us.

"Well,well,well"He begins to mock me"Looks like we got a knight trying to protect his princess. Adorable isn't it Forte?"

A huge hand comes out of nowhere and slams me several feet to my right, against a solitary doorway. I feel warmth running down my temple and I can't control my left arm.

"What...the...hell..."I cough"Was...that..."

"Punched your face"He snorts talking like a neanthertal"Your not pretty anymore, you don't deserve pretty lady."

"Your right Forte"He gives a malicious look at Neptune"Your absolutely right!"

"You...bastards..."I force my weak voice"...don't you...dear...put… a...finger...on...her…."

I fight to get myself up, only to be slammed into the ground again. I feel myself blacking out...

"Nep..Nep..Neptune..."I stutter silently."I-I'm sorry..."

"Mike..."She says horrified, her anger palpably increasing with each yell"You sick bastards! What has he done?! Why?!"

"Hey now, don't call us that"He says with a perverted smile"We're just simple gentlemen..."

"Stay away from her."My mouth moves on it's own.

This startles the thugs, who turn around to face me.

"You still moving?"The short one snorts"Forte, put him to bed."

"K'"He charges me" Sleepy time!"

I doge him without much effort.

"I said. STAY AWAY FROM HER."I repeat, but my voice rumbling in the air.

The sound of pulsating energy comes from behind the thugs. Neptune has summoned her HDD sword.

"What in the hell..."The big thug curses"How did he doge me?"

"If you do not want to be harmed, leave at once."I threaten

"Pfft..."Both the thugs laugh hard" Your the one to talk boy!"

I feel a sudden rage course through my hands. I,I,I wish to protect Neptune...

' _Then the time has come_ ' I hear a voice tell me in my head' _Awaken_.'

Then , without warning,two swords materialize from thin air in my hands.

"If you wish to keep your lives, I suggest you run now"I tell them in a eerly calm voice" You have 5 minutes."

All that is left after that last word is a trail of dust and the smell of urine in the air. The swords dematerialize and I plummet to the ground, passing out.

The next thing I remember is waking up in the hotel room, Neptune sleeping at the side of my bed and a wet towel on my forehead.

My head...god dammit this hurts...

"Huh?"I hear Neptune wake up startled"Mike? Are you awake?"

"Nep..Nep.."I try to say"What..happened.."

"You protected me..."She begins"With your power."

My power? I can barely remember what happened before I woke up, just that Neptune had just told me why she was sent here and then those thugs showed up, from there my memories are blurry, I can see silouettes moving and the feeling of endless power surge from my body.

 _Then the voice._

My exhaustion hits me like a brick wall, hunger cramps my stomach hard.

"I'm...hungry..."I say while giving her a very weak smile"C-c-can you get me something please…?"

She reaches for my backpack and grabs a bag of vegetable chips that was already open.

"Sure"She slightly smiles and grabs the bag I told her about."Here"

"Here's a chip"I give her one, not knowing which one it is"If you want more, let me know..."

While I slowly eat a few veggie chips to quench my sudden hunger, I can see Neptune eat the chip I gave her with a little tear on her eye.

"It was an eggplant one"She tells me while softly straigthining my hear"But I don't mind..."

After a few minutes, I put the bag down and tell her I'm tired.

"Here let me do this"I see her get up and put her bed together with mine."I want to make sure your ok."

I nod, too exhausted to argue. This time its a reverse of what occured last night, her being my pillow, carressing my short brown hair.

"Thank you... Nep..."I say as I doze off.

She's the best person I've ever met...

' _Mike.._.'


	7. Chapter 7

7\. Dreamscape Revelations

Somewhere in my mind...

' _Mike..._.'

"What..."I feel like i'm floating in mid-air"Whoa...what the hell?!"

I'm fully aware of where I am but at the same time I've got the sensation that I'm dreaming.

' _Mike...I need to tell you something..._ '

Where's that voice coming from...?

' _You are not an avarage person..._ '

Well what happened for the last year and a half I think proves it.

'You have strengths no other from this world has...'

To survive being crushed by a out of control flying goddess is a big feat by itself in a way...

 _'Don't you see what you truely are… what the Goddess Neptune tried telling you...'_

 _'You are no ordinary human, you are a god, you are a CPU.'_

WHAT... No,no,no,no it can't be...

' _You are a CPU, your confrontation awoke your powers, your desire to protect the CPU Neptune awoke your power to protect those who you care about...'_

But... I was born on Earth. Not in Gamindustri... This doesn't make any sense, how?!

' _Your past originates not from this world, but from Gamindustri."_ The voice explains" _You come from a bloodline that served the True Goddess since the start of Time. You are one of the last ones still alive that posses the full potential of your ancestors._ "

"And who are you?"I ask"How do you know so much about this?!"

" _Because..."_ The voice begins to fade out" _...I am the origin of your bloodline..."_

"Wait I have so many questions to ask you!"I try to move towards the voice, with futility"Don't go!"

" _Worry not Earth-born CPU, soon your destiny will guide you even further and I shall appear again."_ The voice says before completely silencing" _Rest now, your now awoken body needs it's mental vessel to rest for what is ahead."_

For an unknown amount of time, I drift in the void of my mind, in my own thoughts.

 _I'm a CPU..._


	8. Chapter 8

8\. A CPU's discovery

I wake up sometime mid-morning. I feel like I hadn't slept in months and I just had my first night of real sleep.

I look up and see Neptune, watching me... Am I really like her?

I remember what I learned from the voice in my dreams. It spoke truth, no doubt, but still….so many questions unanswered...

"Are you ok?"She still looks worried, but was calm,she must have been making sure I had been sleeping soundly all night, just like I had done when she had felt lonely a few days ago.."You fell asleep very quickly and looked like you were having a happy dream."

"I'm fine..."I get up, with both mine and her surprise, all my injuries were gone."Perfect, apparently..."

Wait, why am I in my underwear... Oh hell! I run to the bathroom and grab a pair of short pants.

"Neptune, why am I in my underwear?!"I yell through the bathroom door.

"I-I-I don't know what your talking about!"She stutters and I can feel the scorching heat from her probably red face from the other side of the door.

Did Neptune undress me when she carried me to the hotel room and put me in bed?

"Well I don't think they took themselves off!"I say as I can tell that my face is red as a tomato, man i've never felt so embarrased.

All I see is Neptune laugh on the bed at what I just did, which made me become even more red.

"Its fine"She gives me a hug, which makes me paralize... Neptune's still in her goddess form..."You've gone through a lot in the last few days."

"No matter what happens I'll be there for you."She smiles at me and for the first time, instead of inducing a trance on me, it makes me feel safe."I swear on my life."

My stomach rumbles after Neptune breaks from her hug.

"Um..."I laugh a little"I'm guessing I didn't eat much last night right?"

"Only some chips"She giggled" And you made me eat an eggplant chip,dummy"

And with that, I get flicked on the forehead and we head downstairs to breakfast.

The rest of the day I finish giving her a tour of the downtown area, this time she actually pays attention to every word I say and when we were walking between monuments, she grabs onto my arm.

What I had dreamed of is still on my mind but I had promised her that I would give her a tour.

"Okay final stop"I say as we stop in front of La Campana bakery"This bakery is very famous for its pastries and were gonna get some, my treat."

After I buy some and speak with the owner after he had recognized me from when I was little, me and Neptune sat at the tables right outside of the bakery.

"...And this pastry right here is a type of pudding believe it or not"I say as I point at the 'tocino del cielo'"try some."

She grabs a piece and takes a bite out of it. I see a expression of joy sprout on her face.

"So good..."She humms" I wish we had this back at Planeptune. I'd eat this more often than pudding."

I smirked at that remark. Yep still Neptune in there, no matter what form she takes.

Later that day, during late evening, we were back at the hotel, relaxing on the balcony and chatting.

"...And they ran off, just like that"She says as she tells me a more detailed of a battle with the old hag Artorie"But what scared me the most during that time was Plutia."

I recall Plutia from the second remake I had bought, she was very mellow and nice in her normal form, but her goddess form was a total dominatrix, which still scared me every time I would accidentally run a old save. Brrrr...

"I bet"I replied"When I played your game, Plutia seemed so mellow at the start, but when I saw her transform, and saw the complete reversal of her nature transformed, I'd never make her transform during battles, jeez who would know someone could be like that."

"Yeah"She said slightly embarrassed" it was a very big surprise when we first met her."

I fidget with my hands for a couple of minutes as a uncomfortable silence appeared between us.

"Neptune, I've got to tell you something"I begin"...I know I'm a CPU."


	9. Chapter 9

9\. Earth-born CPU

 _A couple of weeks have gone by since I told Neptune about my dream, she believed me when I told her._

" _Don't worry Mike, as long as I breathe"She swore back then"I will protect you and help you discover your potential, I swear on my life."_

That had been the day after we had been attacked by those thugs, my life had changed forever…

 _Nowadays…_

I feel her purple eyes pierce right through me as I bring a couple pudding cups from the fridge to the balcony. When I sit down she speaks.

"Alright Mike, let's go over 'Going HDD 101' then we will try get your swords summoned again."Neptune says, talking like a teacher."You ready?"

"Got it"I nod.

"When going HDD what do you have to do?"She asks me."What has to be thought?"

I spend a second thinking before answering.

"I must focus on what I want to achieve, will myself to use my power to help those who need it."I respond"Once this has been mastered, HDD is just as simple as thinking about it."

She nods in approval as she digs into her pudding cup.

"That's it!"She says"Soon enough you should be able to unlock your HDD form!"

She indicates me to stand up.

"Now sword summoning?"I ask.

"Yes"She explains"Everything you've learned up to know is useless if you can't summon your weapon to fight and defend yourself. Now stand up and try summoning your weapon."

I do as I ask and try to make a stance that makes me feel ready to fight. I begin to focus my energy to will myself to summon my sword

"No, your not doing it right!"Neptune says as she gets up from her chair."Here, let me help you."

Neptune stands right behind me.

"What are you..?!"I start blushing hard as she leans on me, making me feel two soft pressures on my back.

"Your almost there..."She says trailing off, as if she's distracted by something."..! T-T-try now!"

She moved my arm positioning slightly and my feet positioning slightly further apart.

 _Zoooom….._

Without warning, two metal blades appear in my hands, making me jump for a second before I spend a few minutes inspecting them.

"Are these my…. weapons?"I ask"Is this what you saw me use back then?"

I feel Neptune's breath tickle my neck, warmer than I thought it would be, as if she was…

"Y-Yeah!"She says as she covers her mouth"That's it Mike! You've passed one of your most important tests!"

I manage to make my sword dissapear and I turn around, to see Neptune's face redder than I had ever seen.

"Neptune are you alright?"I ask.

Before she storms off, she remembers something.

"I completely forgot, Histy is contacting us tomorrow!"She says" Be up before noon!"

And with that, and a slam of her bedroom door, that's the last I see of her for the rest of the day.


	10. Chapter 10

10\. The CPU's Plan

The next morning, I wake up and fell something lying on me... Wait... this is awfully familiar...

I open my eyes and see Neptune transformed, lying next to me with her arm over me... wait...no,no,no...it can't be...

"Humprhg..."I hear her grunt in her sleep while I slightly move my left arm"...pudding…"

Still her alright,but... I slowly inch my hand to the sheet we are sharing and slightly lift it... and immidiately turn bright red.

Oh crap,oh crap,oh crap. She's naked... in my bed... and I remember her running to her room yesterday after helping me get my weapons... She must have sneaked in while I was in deep sleep and cuddled next to me...

Now what do I do? I can't wake her up can't I?

But she's completely nude under the sheet and she's got me under her heavy arm…

 _Dammit, how is she so heavy…!?_

I feel some movement over my chest and I see Purple Heart lying on my chest, staring at me with her mesmerizingly unique eyes.

"Morning..."She says casually"how did you sleep?"

"I slept well..."I say akwardly and ask her"Um...Neptune... why are you in my bed...n..naked...?"

"I felt lonely and it was hot..."She said. What an excuse, but I wouldn't expect this from her."and you were the only one available."

 _WHAT?!_

I manage to make her sit up and cover herself as I turn around, while I fumble for my house shoes.

"You mind, you know..."I say without looking at her,

"Are you ashamed of me?"She begins to tease me and put her...chest on my back"Any guy would feel lucky i'm pretty sure."

Okay where has she been learning this?

"P-p-please, get dressed, Histoire's contacting and were wasting time here..."I say very nervously... I was starting to get a nosebleed."Now is not the time Neptune."

"Fine..."She said dissapointed. Did she expect something to happen?

At around noon, just as Neptune said, my computer get's taken over by Histoire.

"Greetings Neptune."She says formally."And I'm guessing that your Mike Seras?"

"Hi Histy!"Neptune replies happily, like what happened before had neve occurred" Is everyone there?"

"It's nice to finally meet you Histoire"I say with a tone of respect."Yes I am Mike Seras."

Right after I say this, she moves out of view and a girl with a similar hair color to Neptune takes her place.

"Nepgear!"Neptune almost cries in relief"I missed you so much!"

"Neptune…?!"Nepgear seems suprised"I almost didn't recognize you! You grew up!"

She seems even more surprised herself than herself.

"Is she right?"She says asking me"Did I grow?"

I take a moment to look at her, the parka hoodie a little tight on her, accentuating her curves.

"I-I-I think so"I say as my mind goes somewhere where it shouldn't be."It must be something related with Earth, maybe CPUs age to adulthood here without issue or something."

"Wait!"I hear another voice before another peson squeezes in next to Nepgear"Are you serious?!"

The next person to make their appearance is Blanc.

"W-well Im not sure okay?"I say, covering the possible hole I may have just dug myself"It's just a guess."

"Alright alright."She says"Anyways I'm Blanc, nice to meet you Mike."

"A pleasure aswell."I say with a little bow of my head.

I hear some shuffling before both Nepgear and Blanc are quite literally pushed out of view, A tall figure taking their place, with her chest taking most of the screen.

"Dammit Thunder Tits, at least ask first before you push us out of the way!"I hear Blanc yell angrily.

"Oh sorry Blanc, I didn't see you there."Vert says as she sits down, allowing us to see her face more than her assets"Sorry Nepgear I didn't mean to push you."

"V-V-Vert let go of me!"I hear her say as a portion of a white dress appears on the edge of the screen"Help!"

"Let go of my sister."Neptune says annoyed"Seriously Vert."

"Alright alright."She says with a smug smile.

"Jeez Vert, quit hogging the screen, I wanna see too..."Noire steps in the frame now, before her face turned burning red"N-n-no…..way..."

I lift an eyebrow, slightly confused and very curious.

"Excuse me?"I ask confused.

"..I-I-I'm Noire!"She blurts out as her face turns redder and redder."CPU of Lastation, nice to meet you!"

"And I'm Vert, CPU of Leanbox"Vert cuts in"A pleasure to meet you Mike."

Ater a few minutes, Histoire organizes everyone and floats in view again, all the CPU's piling on each other to get a better view.

"Histoire, I need to ask you something"I say.

"What is it?"She asks

"Please allow me to travel to Gamindustri."I ask firmly."I wish to know why I am a CPU."

"How did you learn that you were one?"I was asked by Nepgear, she seems curious.

"I didnt learn until after I had fought some criminals in my world"I say"During a dream, I was told that I was a CPU and that I had just awoken my powers."

"So you learned of it from a dream?"Vert asks.

"Interesting..."murmure Blanc"It would be a good idea to do so... You could be a CPU of a lost nation or something..."

Both Nepgear and Vert nodded in agreement. Noir seemed distracted but nodded too.

"It's going to take some time though"Histoire says"Planeptune shares are not as strong as they once were when you left, it will take some time."

"How long Histy?"Neptune asks

"Maybe three years?"She says with an edge of doubt"Nepgear will be working on shares for quite a long time, apart from the amount she had been doing up to now."

"But I can do it!"Nepgear says loudly in the background"I can be serious and bring back my sister!"

"Work hard Nepgear!"Neptune cheers her sister on"I'll work hard too and help him discover his powers. I've already managed to help him summon his weapons."

 _Three years…._

 _More than enough time for me to leave with a diploma under my belt..._

"Then it's settled"I say with determination"Two years from now, both of us are heading to Gamindustri!"

"Yeah!"All the CPU's cheer. Noire seemed even more flustered...she had tsunderistic tendencies, but this was out of norm for her.


	11. Chapter 11

Goddess and her Guardian

 _Its been over 7 months since we talked to Histoire and the other CPUs. Another year had rolled around, and along with that, my next birthday loomed over my head._

"Man...I can't believe it's been 2 years now..."I sigh with a tired smile.

"What?"Neptune asks me as she lifts the sunglasses off her face.

She's sitting up on a hammock behind me, in her goddess form, wearing a swimsuit in the hot winter afternoon of San Jose. She looks at me with a curiousity-filled expression.

I turn around and rest against the railing.

"I said that it's hard to believe its been almost 2 years..."I begin as she looks at me like she doesn't know what I'm talking about."... since you appeared in my life."

It was on January 7th she had crashed into me, launched into my world and completely changing my life, for the better I believe.

"Oh yeah..."She put down her glass and stared at the ground slightly blushed"Sorry about that again."

"No need to apologize."I smile at her"To be honest, I'm glad that I met you, I would have never known that I was a CPU and my dreams would have never made sense."

"Well it wasn't intentional..."She says with a sad smile on her face." you were provoked to protect me..."

"But really I knew that you could have defended yourself."I corrected her"Still I felt the need to protect you didn't I?"

She nods.

"But I will return the favor!"She says in a loud voice"I will make sure no one hurts you!"

I smile.

"Thank you Neptune."I say in a very cheery voice.

I face back to the city skyline, entrenched in my own thoughts, without noticing that Neptune had stood up and was hugging me from behind.

"Well you're a CPU, but also a Guardian.. We're very similar"She begin" But completly different at the same time. I feel the need to protect you."

I feel my face turn red as she snuggles in on my shirt.

"Speaking of which, in 3 days it's my birthday..."I try to change topic, I don't want things to start getting any weirder between us..."and I had thought that maybe we could go out and eat at a little restaurant I've found while walking back from the campus."

"It sounds good to me..."She sounds distracted, as if she's smelling something..."I can't believe I missed your 18th birthday..."

And for a few minutes I looked onto the bay, just enveloped in my own thoughts.

 _A few days later, on January 10th, a Saturday..._

"Mike wake up..."I hear as I'm getting slightly jostled"c'mon..."

I thrash for a bit and slowly open my eyes.

"Uoooah..."I yawn"...What time is i...i..it..."

I'm compeltly paralized by the sight. I see Neptune, once again, transformed, but this time wearing nothing but an apron(which was several sizes too small for her) and some black panties, holding a tray with what I smelled were eggs and toast...

If this had been before I met her, I would have sworn that I had died and gone to heaven, but now…. I actually don't know.

"Hey you awake?"She giggled"Brought you your birthday breakfast!"

I quickly snap out of it.

"Th-th-thank-you"I stutter badly"You shouldn't really..."

She makes me sit up and places the tray, which had four legs to rest on the bed, on my lap.

"I've practiced a lot in the last few months and I'd say I can now cook like a champ"She winked at me as she bended over to get in my face, giving me a very good look of her cleavage... _holy crap..._ "Now go and enjoy!"

"O-o-okay!"I stutter again, this time even more, afer the sight she provided me, most likely on purpose."Thank you!"

And I begin to eat, expecting the worse. But to my biggest suprise, it's the complete opposite! The toast was at the amount of browness I liked, she had cooked the eggs to perfection and she even put at little breakfast sausage next to the eggs. She can cook I tell you.

"Uff..."I say after finishing that feast that was my breakfast"That was sooo good!"

"You really mean it?"She asks me excitedly"So following the recepie does help then!"

Following the recepie? Has she only now following the recepie when she practiced while I was out? Oh god thank you that she just now realized how to cook properly, for my stomach's sake.

"I do"I give her a big smile and a thumbs up."Good job Nep."

She blushes quite hard, trying not to look directly at me but she can't help herself. She's become really bashful with me lately. I wonder why...

"Well, I gotta get cleaned up"I say as I put the tray on the side table and press the button on the screen on the wall to start a warm bath."Big day today right?"

"Yeah"She smiles at me"I'll take care of the dishes"

A while later, I'm relaxing in the huge bath in the wash room, very inspired in japanese baths, with a shower outside of the big tub to get cleaned up.

"Well I didn't expect that when I woke up in the morning...not that I'm complaining though..."I think to myself as I slip into the bathtub after washing my hair, a guilty smile unconciously drawn on my face."But the food was good!"

My birthday is today huh? 19 years on this planet and only a small fraction of that time I've learned about the hidden side of myself and still I had a lot covered by a veil of mystery. If I had been told 2 years ago that I was a CPU, I would have laughed and dismissed it as a joke. I may have grown up like any other human... but now that I think of it, when I turned 16, I had already grew into an adult, just like I am now, while most of the other guys my age were just growing beards, although I never had to shave either... Rather nice actually.

I did not even notice the door slide open.

"Hey Mike..."I hear a voice whisper

I snap out of my deep thoughts slowly and turn back to the door.

"Wha.."I become speechless."..."

Neptune had just walked in, nothing covering her except a towel she was holding against her chest.

"Mind If I take bath with you..."She asked me sweetly, which caused me to get a nosebleed, which quickly healed itself, a side-effect of my demihuman ancestry"and wash your back."

This last request nearly makes me pass out from a mental overload... Me...bathing...with...her... my lifelong dream... even before I had met her... was offering itself right infront of me... YES...wait,wait,wait. Think about this Mike. She's asking you if she can BATHE with you... and wash your back. On your birthday. You must have died and gone to heaven for sure... Only one way to make sure.

*Ouch*I pinch myself several times in the stomach without Neptune realizing it*Ouch,Ouch,Ouch.*

Yep, defiently still alive.

"S-s-sure."I stutter... am I really dreaming…?"Go ahead."

"Thank you."She smiled at me with her most radiant smile, which made her look even more attractive than usual. She slips off the towel and for the first time, I actually get a good lookk at her completly nude... I was right, she does have a very fine body in goddess form. I feel my body getting rigid and overheated. _Now is not the time for 'that'._

She steps in the tub and slides in a few feet away from me, within arm reach really.

"Happy birthday, again..."She blushes, I can tell it must be the first time she must be sharing a bath with a guy, because she's trying not to look at me."I'm really excited about dinner tonight.I looked up the restaurant you talked about and it has really good ratings..."

"My hunch must have been right then."I laugh a little and look at the ceeling, to be honest, it was the first time I shared a bath with someone of the opposite gender too..."We'll be leaving around 4 pm and walk, it's not that far away."

I think its time for me to wash my back and I before I attempt to get up, I remember that I'm not wearing anything and fumble to grab the towel behind my head, and quckly wrap it around my waist before Neptune looks at me directly.

"I'm going to get my back washed."I tell her"Be right back"

"Wait"She stops me"I said I would do it"

She was right, I did agree to her washing my back...

"Okay..."I sigh slightly.

I sit down on the small stool under the showerhead, and I hear the sloshing of water behind me.

"Okay I'm gonna start by lathering you back"Neptune tells me near my ear softly.

I can feel something cold touch my back and then very soft, gentle hands, spread the soap on my back and shoulders. This is quite relaxing actually... I feel the hands rubbing the soap gently for a few minutes while I look straight ahead.

"Time to wash you off!"She says in a silly tone.

I hear the faucet turning... COLD COLD COLD! AAGH!

"Washing you off with cold water so the bath feels nice right afterwards!"She tells me without warning"C'mon stop squirming!"

HOW CAN I STOP SQUIRMING WHEN ITS COLD LIKE AN ICECUBE?!

"There, done"She says as she turns off the faucet"All clean now."

I'm shivering when she's done washing me off and I turn to face her.

"At least give me a word of warning!"I say shivering"It was cold like a ice cube!"

"Oh c'mon your just being silly"She say as she grabs me and puts my face in her chest"Here i'll warm you up!"

HELP, HELP, HELP!

"Let me get in the bath please!"I plead her. She may be warming me up, but I was feeling very uncomfortable!"AAAGH!"

I manage to break free of her chest trap and almost dive in the bath. Oh great now the towel's soaked. I pull it out and shoot it accross the room into the basket for dirty towels.

"Phew.."I say with my eyes closed."I thought I was a goner there..."

"Drama nerd."She teases me"You were liking it."

She's not wrong. But I was very... uncomfortable.

"I'm gonna wash up okay?"She tells me" I'll be in a little bit."

Why she tell me that?

I open my eyes and see her washing down her hair, passing from being two long braids that went all the way to her calfs to a flat and long mane of dark purple hair. I didn't know it was that long... It must be almost over 5 feet long.

I look at the little clock on the wall, covered by a plastic to protect it from the vapor. A few minutes later, I hear water sloshing again, this time right next to me.

I look to my right and I see Neptune, sliding in next to me, with her long, upbraided hair covering her chest.

"Mind if I steal your shoulder for a bit?"She says as she lays her head on my right shoulder, the one she had done so over half a year ago back in Spain, when she needed some comforting."It will only be for a little bit..."

She closes her eyes with a small smile on her face, absorbing the moment. I wasn't uncomfortable, but when I realized what was going on, I turned very red, considering the situation.

Still I had a lot on my mind, analyzing what had occurred in the last 2 years... and what I was expecting for the next one... Travelling to Gamindustri, graduating before the trip... Discovering who I truly am... Definitely a lot on my mind.

Later that day, I finish getting dressed and walk out of my room.

"Hey Neptune"I call her"I'm ready! How long until your done?"

"I just finished."I see her walk into the hallway"What do you think?"

I see her in the same type of dress I had seen her in the first game I played, when she signed the friendship treaty with the other CPU's... Defiently sun tanning does not stay with her long does it?

"Whoa..."I say in awe"I never thought I'd ever see you dressed like that in person..."

She smiles.

"You don't look bad yourself."She teases me"For someone who's going casual."

Well, really I didn't have any suits... But I had ironed a shirt and a formal pair of dress pants, along with a jacket that can perfectly pass as a formal piece of clothing, so it was close enough.

"Let's go then."I offer her my arm"I'll lead the way."

Some time later, we stop in front of a small french style restaurant, very formal, but cozy.

"Table for two please."I tell the hostess"I have reservations under the name Seras."

She checks the book at her stand and nods.

'This way sir and madam"She replies in a slight Parisian accent."I will show you to your table"

After eating a full course meal of small dishes, we chat about what had been happening around our neighborhood for the last few days and laugh a bit at something Neptune had heard the day before.

A few minutes later, the waiter walks by us and drops the check on my side of the table. I discretely look at it, stating that the dinner's cost is _150$_ , I'm not even shocked by it. For what we're celebrating, that's nothing.

"Okay ready to go?"I ask Neptune.

She nods.

I get up after paying the bill with a few big bills and leave quite a big tip. As I'm walking out the door , I can see through the corner of my eye the expression of pure shock from our waiter when he sees the tip I had given him, it feels good to be nice.

By the time we walk back it's dark and only the streetlights are on. The street's very quiet, since the area was a sort of village in the outskirts of San Jose, not many people roamed during the evening.

Huh.. I thought I heard something... Nah its nothing…

I was wrong.

About 10 minutes later, me and Neptune made a quick stop at a park bench to rest our feet and have a quick chat.

"...And the teacher goes and steps on the book."I finish telling her a funny story that had happened last week"Not realizing that the chocolate sweet was in between the floor and the book. Let's just say that several people needed to take their clothes to the dry cleaners."

She laughs a little, neither of us realizing of what was watching us.

"Well, well, well..."I hear an oddly familiar voice."So this is where you are..."

I can hear several footsteps all around us. The figure steps into the light.

"Wait..."I make a connection"I know you..."

"Well we meet again… Mr. 'Seras' "The man says with his arms behind his back." I do believe that you did something not so pleasant not long ago to us..."

Wait isn't that one of the thugs that had awaken my powers by attacking me?

"..."Both me and Neptune are completly silent.

"...and you chose the wrong people to mess with."He snarked" You see... we're very close relatives to the Mendoza family and when they heard what had happened, they weren't too happy about it..."

The Mendoza family? Isn't that the most dangerous crime gang in California? How are these guys involved with them?

"...due to us being one of the leaders of the family."He continued" They agreed with us that you must be taught a lesson..."

"The hard way."I hear the deep voice again and see the big thug walk into the light" And were not alone."

I hear several clicks, like a lot of gun safeties being unlocked...

"You see boy"I hear a third voice, with a newyorker accent" When you mess with one Mendoza, you mess with all of us. And when we heard what happened, we came prepared."

Two more thugs approach, all three of them wielding russian assault rifles.

"..."I am dead silent.

"You better leave"I hear a voice say."Or face the consequences..."

I look at Neptune, who is looking down and putting her hands into fists.

"Pfft, hahahaha"All five thugs laugh and the thug with the New Yorker accent tells her" Miss, you better step aside, it may get a bit messy and we don't want to ruin that beautiful dress."

My stomach turns stone cold. They...they...have...guns... and ... intend... to...kill..me...? My thoughts turn blank and I am completely paralyzed by fear.

"I warn you" I hear Neptune say."I don't want to hurt you..."

"Lady, just step aside"I hear one of the other thugs with a gun and what I'm guessing is slightly pointing at me with the barrel" Our buisness is with HIM"

"Don't underestimate her..."I feel my body surge with energy as I fully understand our situation"...or me. It would not be good for your health."

"Shut up runt!"The short man yells"Your not in a position to give anyone orders."

I feel my skin tingle with electricity and my hair rising, my determination reaching levels I did not think that would be possible.

"Are you sure about that"I say as I suddenly appear next to the thug before dissapearing again"Because I'd say your the one that's not in the position to give orders."

I see the short man's expression worsen with pure rage before he pulls out a high caliber revolver and, without warning, fires.

Catching me completely off guard, the bullet grazes my right arm, forcing me to stop and the sensation of endless power ending.

"Gaahh!"I wince in pain."You damn asshole!"

A couple seconds later, the wound heals itself, even faster than I had ever seen for such a deep cut.

Meanwhile, Neptune's silently stands infront of the bench, staring at the ground, her expression the dullest I had ever seen on anyone.

"I will not let you harm him..."I hear her whisper"...I swear on my life…"

Her body glows for a second before her battle suit replaces her dress and her sword appears in her weilding hand.

"You shall regret angering me..."Her voice takes a morbid tone."It is a grave mistake to anger a goddess..."

I have fast flashback to a few days ago, where she had sworn the same thing she had just whispered. Neptune...

"What in the hell..."All thugs say at the same time."Shoot her!"

All three guns point at her and begin firing. I close my eyes, expecting the worse, but soon I hear the sound of several gun clips run out of bullets and open my eyes. My jaw is completely dropped. She had stopped every bullet. With her sword.

"Now you will pay the price of hurting him!"She says as she points the tip of her sword first at me and then at the 5 men" AAAGGHH!"

She charges them, slashing them several times with her sword, the men completely uncapable of stopping her. After a minute, the fight is over.

"This is what happenes when you anger a CPU."She says in a angered tone."Your all lucky that I let you live."

So she didn't kill them? It looked like every slash was lethal.

"..."I'm completly stunned. She had just beaten five armed men within a minute, without breaking a sweat.

"Let's go."She gives me her hand, after making her sword dematerialize and carries me until we reach the penthouse balcony, where she puts me on the hammock and lands. A second later she reverts back to normal form and falls to the floor straight onto her face.

"Nep...Neptune!"I run quickly to pick her up. She's asleep, that fight must have really drained her. So I carry her to her bedroom and, after taking off her shoes, cover her up and turn off the light.

"Sleep well Neptune."I say as I close the door.

The next morning, I wake up to a familiar scene.

"Hmmggpphhh…."The soft mature tone of Purple Heart's breathing welcomes another day."….Mike..."

As I hear the last part of her sleep mumbling, I feel two soft warm pressures wrap around my right arm.

" _Dare I open my eyes right now?_ "I ask myself silently.

I slowly open my eyes and look to my right, Neptune in HDD form, quietly sleeping, a light blush on her face.

 _How long has she been there?_

…

 _Did she wander in my room and slide in with me?_

…

I lift my left arm and poke her with my left index finger on her cheek.

"Hmm…."She moves in her sleep a little bit."...pudding _*slurp*"_

"Crap."I mumble.

Neptune's accidentally stuck my index finger inside her mouth and started sucking on it…

"Mmmm…."Her sleepy face starts to slowly turn red.

For a few minutes, I try to wiggle my finger free, without much success.

"Ah...ah...ah."Neptune suddenly groans, letting go of my finger.

Her boddy shakes several times before losening up and letting me slide out of her pin.

 _What did I...Oh hell...did I just…?_

I stare at my bed, where she's sprawled naked, sheets completely removed, the realization slowly coming clear to me.

 _I better get out of here before she wakes up._

And with that, I sliently slide out of my room, my face as red as I had ever been and a little guilty smile drawn on it.

I sit on the couch and turn on the TV, the local news station's morning news report's playing and it immidiately catches my attention.

"This just in, in a suprising mass arrest, the leaders of the Mendoza Mafia have been apprehended in the last few hours. Police report that some neighbours had found these 5 men shown right now lying in the middle of a small park in Fresco Village, with a moderate pool of blood around them and several assault rifles with expended clips. After rapid medical aid was administered they were taken to Downtown San Jose Precint for interrogation and are awaiting trial. We managed to catch these few words when they were being walked into the precint:"...a freaking goddess...and that….bastard...", after consulting with an expert psycologist, some unknown event occurred prior to the arrest that is provoking this garble, it is unknow if it will be ever known what happen but we will keep you informed of this story as it develops. This has been John Rason for San Jose Local News Station."

I hear almost silent steps behind me and I immidately jump, turning around.

"AH!"Neptune yells startled, wearing one of my long t-shirts in her HDD form."Jeez!"

My mouth makes a mometairly digusted face when I remember what happened earlier, but I don't say anything about it to her.

"Oh, Neptune!"I say relieved"...how much did you hear of the news?"

"A bit of it…."She looks worried"...this is bad isnt it?"

I shake my head.

"To be honest I dont think so."I calm her down"even if they ever got them to give a credible statement, it would still be considered crazy talk. For now, let's keep things under raps."

"Yeah."She says as she slides on the couch next to me and rests her head on my right shoulder." _...I swear I'll never leave your side...no matter what happens._ "

I stare at the screen as the scene of the police taking the thugs into the precinct repeats again on screen.

 _Will we be really safe? I hope so, because Im not sure if we could avoid being hunted…_


	12. Chapter 12

12\. Start of the Journey

Another year has gone by and graduation was going to be tomorrow... The last year had passed by crazy fast and I was graduating early with honors, with a big recomendation from the government, who, along with every major tech company in the world, had offered high paying jobs and permanent job security If this had been any other situation, I'm sure I would have accepted one of the offers already, but not this time… nor ever again I suppose.

I had other plans, a week from now and confirmed by Hisotire, I would take the dimensional leap to Gamindustri to learn about my origins as a CPU and discover my powers.

Sigh... it hadn't been easy the last 2 weeks... when word came out that I would be graduating on my third year of college with such high honors, I was swarmed by news station for interviews and almost seriously hurt...well not anything that I could almost instantly heal. The situation got so dangerous that they had put a permanent military patrol in my neighbourhood to stop any acts that could risk my life.

Not only now, but in the last month, after all exams had finished, it seemed like every female student had taken noticed me and, by what I could tell from the explanations of some of the few friends I had made in the last year, they would do anything to get me to be their boyfriend... Not exactly ideal having over 1000 women going after your ass.

And, by what my main proffessor told me, some incidents had already occured due to the "Seras fever", as he calls it, that had been spreading around campus and several dozen people were hospitalized due to fights and such, all of them students. I really wondered if yanderes actually were possible in our society. The situation got so bad at campus that, one day, to avoid a major "love ambush", I had Neptune secretly fly me out of campus in her goddess form, out of the eyes of the media, military and generally any person of the opposite gender who was obssesed with me.

Yet something I heard Neptune mumble with her not realizing during that one time has my mind occupied.

" _Who the hell do those idiots think you are...?_ "She mumbled" _...your mine and no one else's…"_

Her expression quicklly turned dark red afterwards without reason.

"God my life's turn even more upsidedown..."I sighed as I waited in a special"security zone" designated to protect me, with armed soldiers casually talking and ocasionally asking me a qustion or two to satisfy their own curiousity.

"Hey, it's the least the government can do".Sargent Hathrow,reassures me a soldier that I had gotten to know about in the last few days" We've almost had to put the entire area around San Jose and San Francisco under martial law for the ceremony. We were pretty sure that at least 40 terror plots targeted at you were stopped within the last 3 days and that's no easy feat, your simple presence has challenged our reaction to big events."

"And once again I am grateful that it's your squad keeping an eye on me Sargent."I tell him with respect"If it hadn't been for you yesterday, I would have been in a wheelchair for life."

That last statement wasn't true really, with my CPU-human body, my lesion regeneration rate was a matter of minutes to heal a otherwise mortal wound, so I would have not been put in a wheelchair anytime soon, but I wasn't going to tell the military about my origins and the powers I knew at that moment.

'...Now we shall begin with the handing of the titles to our students. Starting with the honors class.' I was not first, but it wouldn't be long until I would walk onto stage and recieve my well-deserved diploma.

I just had to make sure I spotted Neptune and my father, who had travelled back to the US to attend my ceremony. The reunion with him was rather strange really...

-Going back to a few days earlier-

"So Neptune..."My dad had asked her, she was transformed during this time to match whatever descrpition my mother had given him" Where are you from exactly?"

"Um..."She had been caught off guard there and didn't know what to respond, most people forget to ask her by the simple reason of being mersmerized with her form's beauty and charm."Well..."

"I knew it..."He said with a smirk"So my son's the one then huh?"

"Dad"I interrupt him"What are you talking about?"

"I've know for a long time..."He begins"My father had told me and I was going to tell you in a few years anyways..."

"What is he talking about?"I thought to myself.

"That someone from the world of the gods would sometime come to our world to ask one of our bloodline to be part of a profecy."He began" You see Mike, our family has 3 bloodlines mixed in. Your mother's. Ours, which dates back to the Knights Templar and that of a being of another world."

"What do you mean dad?"I ask, half knowing the answer

"Well..."He began" My bloodline was one that controlled the Knights Templar for centuries and, after a bloody battle during the Crusades for Iberia, a mysterious man, going by the name Sir Icarus showed up, carrying the Grand Master Jose Seras, with what appeared to be a mortal wound, but somehow survived to tell the tale."

"Grand Master Jose Seras..."I remember reading about him a long time ago…"Wait wasn't that during the 1300s?! How long did they keep it secret?!"

"He was a well guarded secret for two hundred years."He told me" It because of him, we learned new methods of fighting and managed to help the rising Castillian kingdom reclaim the land of the ancestors. During that time, every Grand Master Templar was a member of the House of Seras, since he refused to talk to any other for some reason."

"Wow..."I was shocked, 'Sir Icarus' had come to our world over 700 years ago..."But what happened to him?"

"After the crusades of Iberia had ended and the struggle against the Ottoman Empire had begun"He responded"He was invited to join the House of Seras, and married the only daughter of the then last Seras Grand Master, Lucas, thus mixing our bloodlines together. When his wife passed away 30 years later, he dissapeard into the sky, as some of the family legends tell. I can only guess he went into deep space to die, not being able to live without the one he loved..."

"Dad..."I say very suprised, to be honest, I did not know that my dad was carrying a over a half a millenia family secret"..."

"Now son, I will talk to your mother"He tells me" But I will keep our family secret. I will tell her that you have decided to be isolated for personal reasons and told me that you did not know when you would return."

I nod.

"And you Neptune."He faces her" Take care of my son. He may be strong, but he still needs protecting. And I wouldn't think of a better god incarnation to do so."

"Sir..."She talks back"Call me a CPU, not a god incarnation. That's what I am and that's what Mike is. We're gods, but of a world that has only mixed very shallowly with yours. And your son is the deepest link in that connection."

"I understand."He smiles."Still, take care of my son please."

"I will" She assures him" I swear on my life."

She had again swore on her life to protect me... Neptune...

'...Mike Seras, please advance to the stage please.'I hear the head director call me over the speakers.

Well, it's show time I guess!

 _A few hours later, after the ceremony because im too lazy to write the whole thing…_

After the ceremony, came the graduation dinner, a small gathering of my friends, teachers and my dad, of course Neptune's here aswell.

"You did a good job there champ."My father dinged my glass. "Cheers!"

"To Mike!"I see one of my proffessors raise his glass. I invited him since he pretty much kept me way ahead of the class and helped me graduate early." Because of him, now I'm a world famous teacher!"

Everyone clinged their glass and laughed. He was right but still it was a very funny statement.

"You ready for the trip?"Neptune whispered in my ear" It's this Sunday."

I nodded to her.

"I've already packed the few things I need." Tell her in a low voice" Histy said that the necessary shares have been collected."

"Well it's good to know that your sister is more reliable on work than you are"I tease her.

"Oh shut up."She jokes"Your a meanie."

She grins and puts her head on my shoulder.

"Im glad your going back with me"She says in a very mellow voice" I don't think I could have gone back by myself..."

She's right, we had gone through a lot together in the last few years and I had been there to support her... Just as she had been there for me.

Later that week, we prepared for our departure… Not before something extremely bizzarre and awesome happened.

 _The day before leaving…_

"Hey Neptune, have you seen where my travel bag is?"I yell through the open door of my bedroom."I need it to carry my stuff for the trip!"

"I think you left it on the table in the kitchen!"I hear her respond in the distance.

I head to the kitchen and sure enough, there it was, on the table, just like she said.

"Where is she?"The question pops in my mind suddenly.

I head in the direction towards where I thought I heard her voice and end up at the balcony.

"Neptune?"I call her name out."You out here?"

I hear the sound of metal and a loud _dooonnnng_ sound above me.

"Oh Mike!"I see Purple Heart's head peek over the ledge above me"I'm just trying to fix the antena before we leave, I did a modification Histy told me to make so we could communicate with her in the first place."

And she dissapears again.

"Modification?"I yell"What kind of modification?"

"It's a basic transmitter Histy had Nepgear make"She explains"The way she explained it is that it allows her to communicate with devices on Earth from Gamindustri….almost got it…."

The loud sound of metal crunching fills my ears before I see a flash of purple fall over the balcony onto the ground below. It takes me a second to realize what just happened.

"Neptune!"Without thinking, I jump after her, into the void.

For a couple of seconds I dive towards her and manage to catch her, then suddenly, we stop falling.

"What...just...happened..."She rubs her head, dazed by what caused her to fall."...the transmitter must have exploded or something..."

"Neptune are you alright?"I ask

"Yea I think s-"She begins to say before her face turns to pure suprise"Mike?! YOUR FLYING!"

"What are you…?"I begin to ask before I notice it myself."How am I…?"

She reaches for my face, carresing my cheek, her expression almost hypnotizing.

"Your eyes…."She mumbles"They're not normal... You've gone HDD!"

I open my eyes even further now.

"Let's head back to the apartment, we'll be spotted if we stay here any longer."She says before flying on her own and dragging me along with her."You've got to see yourself!"

A miinute later, she drags one of the full body mirrors from inside the house to the balcony.

"Before you can see yourself, promise not to freak out..."She says at first"And not be mad at me."

"Alright, just show me the mirror!"I say impatiently

She steps to the side and the mirror presents a person of my height, but with hair completely standing, the same shade as Purple Heart's hair and dark blue eyes stare right back at me with the mysterious power button shaped pupils.

"So…"She balances herself on the balls of her feet."What do you think of your HDD…?"

I'm speechless for a couple of minutes before I muster a question.

"Neptune, is it me or..."I ask"...does my HDD seem strikingly similar to yours?"

She looks at me with a face of curiousity and stands next to me to look at the mirror. Considering that we were from opposite genders, we look remarkably similar, my combat suit was a male version of Purple Heart's, my hair was the same shade as hers…

As if I had been a male copy of Neptune…

 _Her Guardian...her….Knight._

My father had already left to go back with my mother and the drama with my graduation had died rapidly, by the time I left, the world would forget the name Mike Seras...well at least until someone freaks out and starts a search for me.

"Well are you ready?"She asks offering her hand, already in her HDD form, ready to go to a spot where we had agreed upon with Histoire, it's just a matter of us being there on time.

"Yep, let's do this"I say to her as I reach for her hand. I quickly look back at the penthouse and remember all the crazy memories that had happened here. A lot of good ones but also a few bad ones. I would never forget this place.

A few minutes later, we land in a meadow well north of San Francisco, the spot where we would be transported to Gamindustri, according to the oracle.

"Okay..."I look at wrist watch I had attacked to my travel bag"I remember you say that Histy would start the transfer around now right?

We see clouds appear above us, with a slight blue light emanating from it.

"There's our ride."She looks up." Let's get in position."

I nod and we stand right under the center of the cloud. I spot very small shiny spots flying in closer to us.

"Well dammit..."I curse under my breath"...I didnt think they would scramble fighters that fast… and they're moving in pretty damn quick."

The Air Force fighters must have seen the sudden cloud and turned on their afterburners...

"This is bad..."She says worried"If the cloud's shot, it could injure Histy."

"Histoire, hurry up..."I plead under my breath

Just then, a ray of blue light comes down on us. Phew, too close... I look to my right where I spotted the fighters not long ago and can now perfectly see F-16's closing in...Dammit can we go up faster…?!

"They're going to shoot the cloud if they spot us."Neptune says very worriedly"Histy could be seriously hurt if we dont get through soon.

Then the ray of light starts rising us up much faster than before. Histoire must have noticed that something bad was going to happen.

In a matter of a minute , were practically inside the cloud. I can hear the jet fighters slowing down their engine spooling, like their inspecting the cloud. That's the last sound I hear from Earth. because now were flying fast through what I assume is a interdimensional wormhole. GOD IM GONNA HURL!

A while later I open my eyes, I must have blacked out, because I'm lying on a hospital bed in a room with green lines across the ceeling...

"Hey Mike you awake?"I can hear a very familiar voice..."I can understand it may have been a bit nauseating, but i think passing out was taking it out of context."

I sit up on the bed and rub my eyes.

"Man that was a bumpy ride..."I say with a very tired voice.

"Well your awake then!"I hear that voice again.

I open my eyes and catch a sight of something I'd never thought I would see: All the CPU's, including Neptune, infront of my bed.

The person who was talkig to me was Vert, who had sat down on the end of the bed.

"Welcome to Gamindustri!"She smiles.

Now I remember what had happened before I had woken up, me and Neptune had entered a cloud that had transformed into a interdimensional wormhole, then after getting major motion sickness, I passed out. I'm guessing I arrived unconscious.

"I'm finally here..."I whisper.

Gamindustri, the answer to all my questions... and the key to controlling my powers standing in front of me.

 _With Mike leaving Earth and Arriving in Gamindustri, a new journey is about to begin, one of rediscovering and rebirth, as if a pheonix rising once again..._

 _Nexus From the Ashes: The Guardian's Journey_


End file.
